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An eye on the forecast for later this week looks as though the weather will cooperate for the 75th Annual Tulip Time festival in Pella, though it may be a bit cooler than what we’ve been experiencing. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker tells KNIA/KRLS News that temperatures will gradually cool off from low 70s in the daytime on Wednesday all the way down to a high of 58 on Saturday. Friday night is expected to be particularly cool, with a low in the upper 30s. Hillaker says it’s been an unseasonably mild spring, which hasn’t necessarily helped the tulips to be at their peak for this week.

“It’s been incredibly mild. It’s actually been our warmest spring since 1977 up until this point,” said Hillaker. “Only ten of the last sixty days have been colder than normal, but there will be a couple of those coming up on Friday and Saturday. For the most part, it’s been a very, very mild spring, which has made it quite challenging as far as keeping the tulips blooming into the festival.”

Hillaker adds that there is a 30% chance of some scattered showers in the forecast as well for Thursday and Friday, but doesn’t anticipate widespread heavy rain.

Patsy Sadler, Director of the Pella Historical Village adds that even though the forecast calls for cooler and possibly damp weather during the festival, it will add some authenticity to the event as it will be very comparable to weather in Holland during this time of the year.